Muppet Monster Adventure

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More terrifying than The Bog of Eternal Stench, more mysterious than David Bowie's bauble spinning.

By IGN Staff

Update: E3 The Jim Henson Company has always had an interest in both darkness and mystery as well as bright rainbows and furry happy monsters. Anybody who's had nightmares as a kid from watching The Dark Crystal knows of just how creepy and dismal the company can get (same thing goes for their new TV show Farscape). And just think about how horrified you have been by the gameplay in other Muppet games -- Ugh!

We had a chance to play this Muppet Monster Adventure to see what the hubbub is about, and found that while the game isn't there yet, it has promise. What's neat about the storyline is that it involves your favorite Muppet characters being transformed into monster versions of themselves -- Kermit is a Frankenstein monster, Gonzo is Count Gonzola, Fozzie is a Bearwolf, Miss Piggy is the Bride of Frankenstein, and even the new fish-faced reggae host from Muppets Tonight makes an appearance.

Developed by Magenta, the game's graphics are much in the Croc realm, with clean visuals and nice textures. Framerates are a little choppy at this point from the E3 demo we played, but this may smooth itself out. The characters don't have anything special in the animation department, but we have yet to see the main characters (Kermit and Fozzie and the gang), so we'll see then how well the trademarked Muppet characters come across in 3D. It is a good sign to know that the company has committed all of the original Muppet character voices (minus Jim, of course) for the game.

The question will be the gameplay, and while the game controlled alright in this early demo, Magenta will have their work cut out for them in making a title that will stand out in the PlayStation's crowded market. None of the levels we were shown in demo played fascinated us, and Midway plans to release this under the banner of a "kid's title", which usually translates to ["Good enough for] kid's title". Robin has a backpack full of goodies in the game, so if Midway and Magenta is able to come up with interesting gadgets and toys (already, Robin can transform into a bat or werewolf, and runs around with a ray gun), then this first Muppets title will be as fun as its namesake.

If you're a Muppets fan like Dave and I, you'll be pleased to know that both Muppet Monster Adventure and another Henson title Muppets Race Mania will be out in October. We'll see then what Midway is able to inject into this Muppet adventure then.

--Marc Nix

Somehow, I get the feeling that I'm not part of the target demographic for this game. I've been a fan of the Muppets for as long as I can remember, a faithful follower of Sesame Street and the Muppet show when I was young, but I believe I've outgrown them now, at least in the eyes of Psygnosis' marketing department.

That's not to say Muppets Monster Adventure won't find its audience, though. It has all the ingredients to appeal to Muppet fans, including a soundtrack by the Henson studios and authentic character voices. Players take on the role of Robin, Kermit's diminuitive nephew, who has to rescue the entire Muppet cast - malign forces of imprecise description have transformed them into monsters. His aid in this task will be six different morphing abilities. I don't remember any of these from TV, but in the game, Robin will be able to glide, climb, swim, push heavy objects, and smash through barriers with different transformations. Some of them look pretty neat, like the gliding morph, which transforms Robin into the missing link between frog and bat.

These powers will be brought to bear on six different realms, each guarded by a monstrous Muppet boss. There's a frozen ice world, a haunted castle, a calm sylvan village, a spooky graveyard, a dismal swamp, and a world set amid the forest treetops. Players will be challenged by puzzles and mobile enemies, as well as environmental hazards like sucking ooze and slippery ice.